From Comfortable To Cursed

Our difficult times increase our longing to live in a better place.

Genesis 47:4-6  We have come to live here in Egypt for a while, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is very severe there. So please, we request permission to live in the region of Goshen.”  

5  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have joined you here,  6  choose any place in the entire land of Egypt for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. Let them live in the region of Goshen. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too.”

Genesis 47:11-12  So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt—the region of Rameses—to his father and his brothers, and he settled them there, just as Pharaoh had commanded.  12  And Joseph provided food for his father and his brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their dependents, including the smallest children.

Exodus 1:8  Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

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Nobody wanted a rescue when they first got to Egypt, why would they want to, they just got rescued from the famine in Canaan. Life has been good ever since Joseph saved them from the famine and now they have been living in the best area of Egypt, their livestock were in the best pastures and their families were well fed. But God would soon make sure that they were not comfortable there forever. 

There is a new Pharaoh in town and he isn't as smart as the previous one. The previous one was impressed with the God given wisdom of Joseph but the new man didn't know anything about Joseph or about his God. Just as Joseph was unfairly forced into slavery, now his ancestors have been unfairly put in the same situation.

Pharaoh feared what the Canaanites should have feared. If Pharaoh knew the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would have realized that the land that God's people were supposed to take away from it's current residents was not Egypt. The promised land that they would conquer is the place where the Canaanites currently reside.

Pharaoh attempted to shorten the life expectancy and slowdown the birthrate of God's people through slave labor and infanticide seemed like a wise plan but he didn't achieve the intended results. God's people continued to increase despite the harsh treatment.

Pharaoh assumed that he was in charge and that his plans would have the desired outcome. Man's wisdom is wrong so much of the time that we should be very careful. Sometimes God allows the wisdom of evil men to prevail for a long time before he steps in and proves who is really in charge.

Pharaoh's plans were used by God to create a desire to live in a better country Pharaoh didn't have any idea that God would use the persecution to create a longing within his people to live free in the land that was promised to their father Abraham. (Hebrews11:13-16)

God's people need a rescue but their leader that will take them out of bondage isn't even born yet. God's people don't have any idea that they are waiting for a slow plan that will allow them to suffer for many years as they wait for their deliverer.

God's rescuer will come as a baby, babies have to grow up, which means they have to be protected from the plans of evil rulers. Ironically, instead of being killed by the evil ruler, this baby would be protected and become a member of the family of the man that wanted him killed.

God’s grace and sovereignty made a way for Moses’ mother to nurse her own baby, get paid for it, and guarantee that the baby would not be killed. God put Pharaoh's daughter in the right place at the right time and gave her the compassion to care for Moses.

God's rescuer will have to be prepared, he will have to grow up physically and spiritually, he will need time to learn from the mistake of following man's wisdom, and he will have to go to God's classroom in the wilderness to learn godly wisdom.

2 Peter 3:8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

God isn't concerned with our clocks or calendars, God's people have always been in God's waiting room, he almost always moves much slower than we want. Our faith gets stronger when we don't get instant answers to our prayer request.

God's glory shines the brightest when it looks like the desired outcome is completely impossible. Very often he allows our situation to get as bad as possible before it looks like he is reacting and then he reacts in a small way that doesn't even seem to help. 

Isaiah 64:4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

God is at work and he is competent and faithful to complete what he has promised. Life is hard but how much desire would we have for a deliverer if we lived in comfort all the time?

It is difficult to understand how God could be merciful to the Canaanites and hold back his judgment on them while his people lost favor with the world around them which resulted in them being persecuted. The world doesn't tolerate us as well as it used to, the church is being persecuted more and more while God delays in delivering us from this evil world.

All of the difficult times remind us that we are not home yet. Our trials increase our longing to live in a better place, a place without bondage to sin, a place with justice for all, a place where we will fully know God and enjoy the rest of his promises that we have not received yet. 

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The Promised Son Fails

The heir of the promise didn't do anything to deserve God's blessings.

Genesis 26:1-3  A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.  2  The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you.  3  Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father.

Genesis 26:10  “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”

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It seems that God really wants us to know that we don't do anything to deserve his promises. Looking at the life of Abraham and Isaac we learn that the school of faith is never closed and  the test keep coming until the Lord takes us home.

Right after the death of his father, Isaac received confirmation from God that he was next in line for the promises and he would have his favor but it didn't take long to prove that he isn't any better qualified for those promises than his father was.

Struggling to Trust in God’s Promises: Isaac Lies about Rebekah 

(Genesis 26:1-17)

• Isaac didn't go to Egypt but he still had problems with his ungodly peers that brought him a lot of fear and grief.
• Just like Abraham, Isaac feared for his life because of his beautiful wife and he repeated his father's lie. 
• Abraham and Isaac were both reprimanded by ungodly men for their sin and it seems like neither of them repented.
• Sometimes God's people seem less like their father than the people around them.

Struggling to Live with Sinful Men: Isaac Quarrels with the Men of Gerar 

(Genesis 26:18-25)

• Isaac was well known by the elites of his day but not well liked by them. Sometimes God's blessings will bring hate and resentment from the people around us that don't have the blessings.
• Isaac's neighbors didn't tell him to his face to get out of town but they did make it impossible to stay. Isaac kept the peace and moved on each time there was a dispute. 
• To Isaac these wells were a necessity for survival, but to the Philistines these were a claim to the land and a means to support his growing household and livestock.
• Isaac may not have realized it but it was the disputes over the ownership of the wells he dug or reopened that served to guide him in the direction of the land of promise.

Struggling to Recognize the Sovereignty of God: Isaac Makes a Covenant with Abimelech 

(Genesis 26:26-33)

• God came through greatly on his promise to prosper Isaac if he resisted the urge to move to Egypt to get away from the famine.
• Abraham and Isaac both offended Abimelech and they were both approached later to make a treaty with him.
• Maybe Abimelech wanted God's favor and blessings and he thought that he could get it by becoming Isaac's friend.
• Isaac had nothing to gain by making the covenant with Abimelech. Isaac already learned that his safety and his prosperity came from God and not the king.

God's covenant with Abraham was passed on to another undeserving sinner that had many flaws. Thankfully God's covenant was an unconditional one that did not rely on the faithfulness and good works of Abraham, Isaac or any of us.

Galatians 3:2-3, 9  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.  3  How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

9  So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

Thankfully the new covenant that Jesus offers (Luke 22:19-20) is also given freely without needing to deserve it. God's blessings and care for us is based on what the ultimate promised son (Jesus) did for us instead of what I have or have not done. God's promise of redemption that he made way back in Genesis is still good no matter how bad mankind has become and how little we deserve them.

Thank you Lord for the new covenant with the better high priest that paid the final sacrifice for every sin for those that believe in him. (Hebrews 8:1-13)

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God's Friends Act Like They Are Not

Two kinds of people in this world and sometimes you cannot tell them apart.

Genesis 20:1-5 Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, 2 Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.

3 But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”

4 But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”

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After the destruction of Sodom in the previous chapter of Genesis, Abraham is on the move again, we don't know why he moved or if he was in God's will but I have to wonder if maybe he was too close to Sodom and he couldn't bear the sight of the destroyed city and the family and friends that he lost. 

We do know that when he moves his insecurities come out, the last time that he moved was to go to Egypt during the famine that was in Canaan, that trip was the beginning of a lot of trouble that continues today.

You would think that he would have learned from the very serious lie and the extreme consequences. In his attempt to save his own life he jeopardized his promised son and his promised future including the lineage of the Messiah. 

It seems odd that he would be so insecure when he has such a personal relationship with God and such amazing promises. But it is a blessing for us to see that God's people have never been a perfect people that didn't mess things up.

The Bible makes it clear that there are two kinds of people in this world and sometimes you cannot tell which is which.

Abraham the troublemaker

Genesis 20:11 “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’

Abraham and Sarah didn't learn from the previous time that they told this same exact lie, King Abimelech looks more like God's friend than Abraham or Sarah, but God is gracious and steps in. God is the only one that can fix this mess and protect the lineage of Jesus.

The integrity of the king turns out to be far greater than Abraham imagined, his lie about Sarah and her willingness to go along with it caused a lot of trouble and tarnished the reputation of God's people.

How could the promised Messiah come from Sarah if she belonged to Abimelech? We can make a big mess of things with our little lies, the little half truth that Abraham and Sarah told had huge consequences that they never dreamed of.

Abraham the peacemaker

Genesis 20:17-18  Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children.  18  For the LORD had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

Genesis 21:22-24  About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said.  23  “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”  24  Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!”

Abraham got right with God and he was restored to his position of ministry and blessing to those around him. He couldn't be a blessing when he was busy being a troublemaker. When we fall away from God and lose our peace with him we also lose our ability to fulfill God's desire for us to bless others.

It would have been very easy for these two powerful men to become enemies but they were able to have a peaceful relationship. First Abraham prayed for his new friend and later he made a peace treaty with him.

God's word shows us that the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise of an heir wasn't dependent on Abraham's success. Abraham put the promise in jeopardy, from a human point of view, several times. 

God's people have never been a perfect people and many times we act like we aren't his people. It is important that we look at the overall direction of our life instead of dwelling on the individual mistakes that we make.

Thank you Lord for using me despite my tendency to follow my old sin nature. Help me to overcome my fight against the world, the flesh, and the Devil so that I can be a blessing to those around me. I will only be successful with your intervention.

My Shield And My Reward

Do we really treasure God's promises to us?

Genesis 15:1 Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

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Abram has just experienced a great victory fighting injustice, he rescued Lot after a year of captivity by some of the surrounding nations, only God could have given him success with such a small group of men.

Abram has also experienced a victory over the temptation to achieve God's promises through his own efforts. The spoils of war would have been a great way to boost his financial resources but Abram gave God a tithe right off the top and he turned down the financial offer from the king of Sodom to keep the rest of the booty.

Abram could have trusted in his own abilities for success in life, he could have pursued one victory after another in an effort to provide his own happiness and peace, but these victories can never satisfy like the offer that God has for Abram.

Even after all of the recent success Abram needs a word from God, success isn't a cure for the doubts and fears that come our way, even when things are going our way we can still get discouraged. Our loving father in Heaven comes to his child to remind him of some truths that will never change.

GOD IS OUR SHIELD

God told Abram in a vision to "fear not," he may have been troubled because he feared that the kings he just defeated may come back for him with more man power. God knows we are emotional and "fear not" is a message that we would need to hear repeated over and over again. (Hebrews 13:6)

God's shields are so superior to the ones that man creates, his shields offer 100% protection, man's shields have to be small because of the weight. If they were large enough to cover the warrior completely then the shield would be too much of a burden to carry in battle.

Psalm 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.

Our shield is so amazing but the Bible still has to remind us so often to "fear not." We have the most awesome love story from Genesis all the way through Revelation but we still have to be reminded that fear is a liar.

God's shield is greater than:

• Satan - He is a cruel and powerful foe for sure but our shield is greater than our defeated enemy.
• Man - The ungodly man has no hope of defeating you since he is less powerful than Satan.
• The sorrows and afflictions of life - Persecution, poverty and pain are a part of this sin filled world that we will have to experience for a season.

GOD IS OUR GREAT REWARD

Abram may have been discouraged because he doesn't have a son yet and there isn't any progress on acquiring the land that was promised.  Abram longed for the same things we all want in this life, he gave up his home, he rejected the riches from the king of Sodom and his desire to have a son has not come true. God seemed to be withholding all of the rewards that this life offers for a greater prize. (Hebrews 13:5)

We need to ponder the superiority of God as our great reward over all that the world has to offer. If we don’t, we will love the world like everyone else and live like everyone else. -John Piper

We have the greatest reward yet we are all caught up in the lesser things of this world that we think are rewarding and will add to our pleasure. We have the pleasure and honor of knowing God and having his presence in our life and we flippantly ask for something else.

Think about it, God says, "I am your very great reward" and Abram says "where's my son?"

But we are just like Abram, we ask for more of what the world has to offer when we have the ultimate reward. The children of the king forget there standing in the family of God and behave like peasants.

You may be overwhelmed that you are called to endure much and to give up so much in this life for the kingdom but your reward is so incredibly great and your shield will take care of you.

You may be overwhelmed with fear and need to find peace, enter into God's presence, recall his promises and your fears won't stand a chance.

Go Where?

Are we willing to go where he says go despite the circumstances? 

Numbers 14:34-42 "Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years--a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have Me for an enemy. 35 I, the LORD, have spoken! I will certainly do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against Me. They will be destroyed here in this wilderness, and here they will die!"

36 The ten men Moses had sent to explore the land--the ones who incited rebellion against the LORD with their bad report-- 37 were struck dead with a plague before the LORD. 38 Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive. 39 When Moses reported the LORD's words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief.

40 Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. "Let's go," they said. "We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the LORD has promised us." 41 But Moses said, "Why are you now disobeying the LORD's orders to return to the wilderness? It won't work. 42 Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the LORD is not with you.

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Here is one of the biggest "ops!" ever in human history, the Lord told the children of Israel to pack their bags and prepare to move into their new homeland, but instead of being passionate about what God was telling them to do they choose to be scared of what God told them to do.

It has been a long trip and God has done amazing things to reveal himself to his people. They have spent a lot of time in the wilderness, they have complained about the wilderness, but now they decide that it would be better to stay put and maintain the status quo.

God's Children Won't Go

Just a year ago they had watched the Lord work all kinds of miracles as he brought the Egyptians to their knees. The Lord proved that he had complete control over the Egyptians and that he was strong enough to save his people. These are the same people that saw God bring about plagues against the Egyptians and kill there babies.

It seems like that instead of believing that God would be just as powerful against these new people they decided that they should go back to Egypt where God was more able to help them.

God's people have spent a lot of years in the wilderness but they decide that it would be better to stay put and maintain the status quo, that is until they get word of the cost of their disobedience and then all of a sudden it looks like going to the Promised Land is a pretty good idea after all.

God listened to Moses prayer and did not destroy his people but he didn't ignore their sin. God let the people have what they asked for, if you don't want to go into the promised land then you can stay here in the wilderness and die, you said that was a better option didn't you? (Numbers 11:1, 14:2)

Don't look down on God's people because staying is our favorite option too. We like to settle for good enough as we gaze into the promise that God has given us. Instead of looking at how easy it would be for God to overcome the obstacles we decide to sit it out and enjoy the wilderness that we used to complain about. (Exodus 14:11-12, 15:22, 16:1-4, 17:1-4 just to name a few.)

God's Children Won't Stay

I guess seeing the ten guys struck dead will make you change your mind. Like little children that realize that they have made their parents mad, the people decide that late obedience is better than the consequences that they deserve, now they are ready to believe that they can do it. God has told them that they are staying and they say "hold on God, now we want to trust you."

First they won't go, now they won't stay, from one rebellion they progress to a second, now they want to conquer the land even though God said he wasn't on their side. We love the verse that says "If God is for me who can be against us?" but the opposite is also a harsh reality "If God is against us who can be for us?"

Faith is acting like it is so, even when its not so, in order that it might be so, simply because God said so.

-Tony Evans

We all like to spy out the land to manage risk, without realizing it, we constantly access situations to minimize the possibility of embarrassment or injury. Following God is scary stuff sometimes but we have to realize that God isn't here to make us comfortable and Jesus did not die for our sins so that we can be comfortable. The lifestyle of the New Testament church has been lost through that ages.

New Testament disciples are soldiers (Philippians 2:25; 2 Timothy 2:3–4; Philemon 1:2), athletes (2 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 12:1–2), and crucified new creations (Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We run (Hebrews 12:1), fight (2 Timothy 4:7), and take up arms (Ephesians 6:10–18) so that we finish well and accomplish God’s purposes while we live.

-Ryan Lister on DesiringGod.org

There isn't always any human logic behind what he is asking, but if we listen to the wrong people or we let our fears put us in a box that looks safe there is a good chance that God is going to reprimand us and we will miss out on being a part of his work.

I need to be obedient in everything that I do, if I decide to wait and do it later in my timing then the Lord may not be with me. I need to have faith to move forward with passion about what God has asked me to do even if there are people around me telling me how difficult or dangerous it is going to be.

Help me to know your will Lord and give me faith that lead me to obedience.

Successful Living

The children of God have a bright future.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Philippians 4:13  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Deuteronomy 31:8  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

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Everybody feels like Charlie Brown from time to time but keeping the defeated attitude isn't a place for a child of God to stay.

The Lord has plans for his children, he gives them the strength and courage to do them and he gives us victory over our circumstances. God's children have the ultimate source of hope despite our circumstances we know the ultimate victory is ours.